How Does Zenith Counselling Help?
How Will Counselling Help?
This is the question! Knowing what to expect as a client is a big part of your treatment and can make a huge difference in how you feel after your sessions. Thinking realistically about what you’d like to gain from counselling, setting clear goals and expectations of your treatment, and considering what qualities you appreciate in a counsellor are just some of the things to consider even before your first session.
The counselling process helps you have the opportunity to spend an hour or more to focus exclusively on you. Your counsellor is intent on encouraging exploration, understanding, and providing an unbiased perspective on the parts of your life that you bring into your sessions. These are vital parts in the change process that enable seeing a familiar struggle with fresh eyes and an open mind.
Make no mistake: your treatment is not a cure, but counselling can be the next step toward a more fulfilling life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the more widely recognized therapeutic approaches in psychotherapy. You may hear the term “evidence-based practice,” often associated with this form of talk therapy. This is not entirely misleading nor is it really informative. What contributes to why CBT is considered “evidenced-based,” is its teachability and how readily it can be practiced. It is rare for a CBT practitioner to encourage you to consider your unconscious feelings or to interpret recurrent dreams you may have. This makes for a practice that is tangible and accessible for clients who experience vastly different presenting problems.
So what is CBT? CBT is essentially a conscious reflection on repetitive, unhelpful thought patterns that lead to undesired behaviour and occur alongside strong emotions. Awareness of your thought patterns allows you to intervene to create new ways of thinking with new behaviours to follow. It is commonly used to address issues with anxiety, depression, and diagnoses like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). CBT can also be used with mindfulness to address these areas as well.
We won’t just throw a CBT workbook at you and call it a day. If CBT is relevant and potentially beneficial for your specific presenting problem, we’ll work with you to tailor this approach to something that works for YOU. After all, “evidence-based,” does not mean it will be an automatic fit for you. CBT is not a miracle cure. Much like any approach, research suggests that positive outcomes in psychotherapy are determined by a strong, trusting relationship between a client and their counsellor. We will do whatever we can to create this therapeutic alliance with you.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) is one of the more recently developed therapeutic approaches in psychotherapy (1980’s). It was created by a woman, Marsha Linehan, who experienced severe mental illness first-hand. Her experiences inspired the development of DBT to address issues with Borderline Personality Disorder, including emotional dysregulation and self-destructive behaviours.
DBT incorporates elements of behaviourism similar to CBT, with mindfulness and acceptance derived from Zen Buddhism. DBT is an approach that provides you with the tools to tolerate distressing situations, increase emotional intelligence, work toward a sense of acceptance in elements of your life that are outside of your control, and develop effective interpersonal communication. The practice of DBT is not restricted to the treatment of severe mental health as it carries a theme of encouraging self-awareness and self-compassion. Both of which can enhance your life, regardless of the challenge you are confronting.
We are familiar with these elements of DBT and can incorporate them into your treatment when it’s beneficial. If you are looking for counsellors specifically certified to practice DBT, please contact us.